The other day my girls and I were running into the store very quickly to pick up a few items. Outside the entryway stood an older gentleman clearly a Veteran holding a handful of bright red poppies. “Can we get one mama?”

Those colorful little fake flowers take me back to my childhood. I remember helping my moms friends assemble these little poppies for our local VFW. I remember hearing war stories from my parents friends as a kid. And, I remember volunteering at the Veterans Home with elderly war heroes. Some of them were missing legs, and many survived things I am lucky enough to not have experienced. My girls are the same age I was when I first learned about the sacrifices of our American war Veterans.

“Yes, sweetheart why don’t we each get one.” I gave them each a dollar bill to hand to the gentleman in exchange for a bright red poppy. He thanked them and complimented their generosity. I thanked him for his service and shared that both my father and my father in law were Vietnam War Veterans. His heart genuinely broke when I shared with him that they both passed away over a decade ago to cancer in their early fifties. Seeing these poppies reminded me of them. I am grateful for their service to our country, their service to our families and I am thankful they made it home to all of us.

Happy Veteran’s Day to my Dad, my Father In-law and all my aunts, uncles and cousins who have all served in the military. Thank you to all our Veterans who have served and continue to serve! Thank you to the wives, children and families who have loved ones serving in the military. Your sacrifices are important too!

Buddy Poppies are assembled by disabled Veterans and Veterans in need. This helps provide them with a small income and the sales help fund programs for Veterans. You can watch the short video below to learn more about the VFW Buddy Poppy program. And, remember to thank a Veteran today!

The Whatever Mom is a full time wife and twin mama living on coffee and wine. She enjoys the pure rush of cleaning the BIG potty between loads of laundry. It is her dream that moms everywhere accept and embrace the Whatever Mom philosophy which can be found here, Find her two party Body Beautiful project here and here.

This is such a sweet story. My father is also a Veteran from the Vietnam War. I’ve had family members in every single war since WWII. Thank you for your service taking care of Vets and thank your family as well 🙂

If I were to list the veterans I know, the list would get long. Veteran’s Day is special to me because I grew up in a military household and I’ve now married into one. The military has always been (and always will be) a big part of my life. Thank you so much for sharing this story and the history behind it! Happy Veteran’s Day!

Hi! I’m Roxanne, The Whatever Mom

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